Star Refrigeration's Olivia Brown recognised at CeeD Awards 2026 for sustainability leadership
MWN-AI** Summary
Star Refrigeration's Olivia Brown has garnered recognition at the 2026 CeeD Industry Awards, receiving the Engaging Talent Award for her outstanding contributions to sustainability. The awards ceremony, held on March 5 at the Hilton Glasgow Hotel, celebrated collaborations between industry and academia, organized by CeeD, a network focused on enhancing Scottish engineering and manufacturing.
Olivia, currently studying Environmental Management at Glasgow Caledonian University, has been an intern with Star Refrigeration through their Star Academy programme. Her role as Sustainability Project Lead Intern has empowered her to engage with colleagues across the organization, translating sustainability priorities into actionable initiatives. Notably, Olivia has helped advance Star Refrigeration’s sustainability strategy, which aligns with the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals, particularly in areas such as clean energy and climate action.
Under her guidance, the company has made significant strides, including enhanced waste management practices and the establishment of internal training focused on sustainability. Her contributions were instrumental in Star Refrigeration's improved EcoVadis sustainability assessment, positioning the company among the top 15% globally.
Prof. Dave Pearson, Star Refrigeration's Group Sustainable Development Director and Olivia's mentor, praised her exceptional performance, highlighting the substantial impact she has made as if she were a seasoned full-time employee. Olivia expressed her pride in contributing to Star’s sustainability efforts while managing her studies, crediting her supportive colleagues and mentors for her achievements.
The CeeD awards also featured the Net Zero Heroes Award, sponsored by Star Refrigeration, recognizing Celtic Renewables for their innovative work in developing bio-based chemicals. This initiative emphasizes the importance of innovation in transitioning Scotland towards a low-carbon economy.
MWN-AI** Analysis
Star Refrigeration’s recognition of Olivia Brown at the CeeD Awards 2026 for her exceptional contributions to sustainability underscores the growing importance of environmental stewardship within the corporate landscape, particularly in engineering and manufacturing sectors. Companies aligned with sustainable practices not only demonstrate social responsibility but are increasingly seen as more attractive investments.
Brown’s role as Sustainability Project Lead Intern reflects Star Refrigeration's strategic commitment to integrating sustainability into its business model, which is critical for firms aiming to foster resilience against regulatory pressures and shifting consumer preferences. By embedding sustainability within an ISO 14001 certified management system and aligning operations with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, Star Refrigeration highlights its dedication to continuous improvement and environmental accountability.
From a market perspective, the engagement of future talent in sustainability initiatives, as exemplified by Brown, positions Star Refrigeration as a forward-thinking player within its industry. Companies that prioritize sustainability can potentially enhance their competitive advantage, improve operational efficiencies, and attract environmentally-conscious consumers. Moreover, an improved performance on sustainability metrics such as the EcoVadis assessment can lead to favorable procurement conditions and partnerships, further bolstering business growth.
Investors and analysts should consider Star Refrigeration's proactive approach to sustainability as a significant indicator of long-term viability in a market increasingly leaning towards responsible governance. Entities that aspire to maintain relevancy in the evolving market landscape must prioritize sustainability in their operational strategies. Companies that successfully engage their workforce in innovative sustainability initiatives can drive productivity while simultaneously working towards broader ecological goals, thus aligning profitability with purpose.
In conclusion, Star Refrigeration's initiatives and recognition in sustainability offer a noteworthy case study, suggesting a robust pathway for other firms aiming to integrate environmental stewardship into their core operations and overall business strategy.
**MWN-AI Summary and Analysis is based on asking OpenAI to summarize and analyze this news release.
PR Newswire
GLASGOW, Scotland, March 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Star Refrigeration is celebrating the success of Sustainability Project Lead Intern Olivia Brown, who has been named joint winner of the Engaging Talent Award at the CeeD Industry Awards alongside Cameron Fordyce of the University of Glasgow with industry partner Nami Surgical.
The awards, organised by CeeD a Scottish industry network that connects businesses, universities and the public sector to drive collaboration and innovation across engineering and manufacturing, took place on 5 March at the Hilton Glasgow Hotel.
The Engaging Talent Award recognises undergraduate students who demonstrate exceptional collaboration between industry and academia through practical engineering or technical projects. Olivia, an Environmental Management student at Glasgow Caledonian University, works with Star Refrigeration through the company's Star Academy term-time internship programme, spending one day per week in the business during term time and working more extensively during university holidays, applying her studies directly within industry.
In her role as Sustainability Project Lead Intern, Olivia has played a key role in progressing Star Refrigeration's sustainability strategy. Her work has involved engaging colleagues from across the organisation to identify priorities and translate them into actionable activities to support the company's long-term environmental commitments.
Star Refrigeration's Sustainability Strategy aligns the business with all 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals, with particular focus on clean energy, climate action, responsible consumption and decent work. It is led at executive level and embedded within an ISO 14001 certified management system, ensuring consistent measurement, reporting and continuous improvement, with a clear focus on the lifetime energy performance of the systems we design and support.
Olivia has helped introduce practical initiatives across the business, including improvements to waste management systems and the development of internal sustainability training for employees. Her work also contributed to Star's EcoVadis sustainability assessment, where the company improved its performance and achieved a position within the top 15% of companies globally.
The award was shared with Cameron Fordyce, a University of Glasgow student and intern at Booth Welsh, recognised for his work developing a digital image correlation system to measure ultrasonic vibrations in surgical tools as part of an engineering research project carried out in collaboration with industry.
Prof. Dave Pearson, Group Sustainable Development Director at Star Refrigeration and Olivia's mentor through the programme, said:
"We took a gamble in establishing a term-time internship, but Olivia has rewarded us handsomely. She has exceeded our expectations and delivered as if she were a full-time member of the team with years of experience.
"Her work has helped turn sustainability into a more structured, actionable function embedded across the business."
Olivia Brown said,
"I'm very proud to have carried out this work while studying at Glasgow Caledonian University and to have had the opportunity to help further develop and embed sustainability within Star Refrigeration during that time.
"I'm incredibly grateful to everyone at Star for their support, and especially to Dave Pearson for the mentorship and encouragement to develop this work alongside my studies." Through initiatives such as the Star Academy programme, Star Refrigeration continues to strengthen links between industry and universities, helping students gain practical experience while contributing fresh ideas and perspectives to real-world engineering and sustainability challenges.
The CeeD Awards ceremony brought together leaders from across Scotland's engineering, manufacturing and innovation sectors, including Richard Lochhead, Minister for Small Business, Innovation and Trade, and Ivan McKee, Minister for Public Finance.
As part of the event, Star Refrigeration also sponsored the Net Zero Heroes Award, which was won by fellow CeeD member Celtic Renewables for its work developing bio-based chemicals from industrial by-products, helping reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
Prof. Dave Pearson, said,
"We were proud to sponsor the Net Zero Heroes category and to see Celtic Renewables recognised for the important work they are doing to develop alternatives to fossil-based chemicals. Innovation of this kind will play an important role in Scotland's transition to a low-carbon economy."
The Engaging Talent Award was established in memory of Euan Thomson, a respected Star Refrigeration engineer whose enthusiasm for engineering and collaboration left a lasting impact on colleagues and industry partners.
To find out more about the CeeD Awards, visit https://ceedawards.ceed-scotland.com/
SOURCE Star Refrigeration
FAQ**
How can Olivia Brown's success at the CeeD Awards serve as a model for future interns at Star Refrigeration, especially in light of sustainability practices recognized by frameworks like the FlexShares STOXX US ESG Select Index Fund ESG?
What specific initiatives did Olivia implement that directly align with the goals of the FlexShares STOXX US ESG Select Index Fund ESG, and how have they influenced Star Refrigeration's sustainability strategy?
In what ways can Star Refrigeration leverage Olivia Brown’s contributions to enhance their performance metrics related to the FlexShares STOXX US ESG Select Index Fund ESG in future sustainability assessments?
How does Olivia Brown's work and the acknowledgment by the CeeD Awards reflect on Star Refrigeration's overall commitment to sustainability, especially concerning metrics used in the FlexShares STOXX US ESG Select Index Fund ESG?
**MWN-AI FAQ is based on asking OpenAI questions about FlexShares STOXX US ESG Select Index Fund (NYSE: ESG).
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